Month: August 2010

I Need an Image of an Adoptable Cat for My BlogPaws Mural.

Lorenza
Digital Art by BZTAT

Can you help me out?

I want to use a dog and cat image for the mural that I will be creating at BlogPaws West.

Last night, I was going through zillions of photos of critters to use as reference images for the mural.

Then someone posted this sweet pup named Lorenza on my Facebook wall.

I thought, “She’s Perfect!”

LorenzaLorenza was found in Canton, OH and is looking for a home. The person who found her volunteers with Second Chance For Animals, and she has offered to pay the adoption fee for anyone who is one of my Facebook Fans.

Please let me know if you are near Ohio and are interested. I will connect you with the volunteer.

Now I need a cat…

Do you have a photo of a cat that is available for adoption that I could use for my mural along with Lorenza?

If so, post it on my Facebook Fan Page with some information about the animal and how it can be adopted by Friday September 3, 2010.

I will choose a cat to be featured in the mural from the photos I receive.

Since a big part of the BlogPaws mission is to Be the Change for Pets, it seems only right to feature pets in need in the mural.

I am looking forward to painting the mural, and I am looking forward to meeting you at BlogPaws!

I Miss Dat Dawg Sam Already.

Sam and Portrait
Dat Dawg Sam with his painted portrait

I never met Sam in person (or in paw-son, as it may be). I have met his human staff twice when she came to Columbus, OH for trade shows this year and last. We have become great friends, despite the distance between Ohio and her home in San Diego.

I felt as though I knew Sam from following his feline brother’s adventures on Twitter (@PerrytheBirman).Perry always referred to him as “Dat Dawg Sam” on Twitter, often in unflattering terms. Nonetheless, you could tell the cat loved the dog despite himself.

I also painted Sam’s portrait last year. Spending many hours painting an animal endears you to the creature in a way that I cannot describe.

So when I learned of his passing this past Wednesday, I wept. I wept for the loss that I knew my human friend was experiencing, and I wept from feeling my own sense of loss.

That happens to me when animals who become a part of my artistic menagerie go to the Rainbow Bridge.

Sam came to live with my friend and her husband and Perry when his previous owner succumbed to cancer a few years ago. He suffered from various neurological symptoms and Cushing’s Disease that finally got the best of him. he had many challenges in his last year of life but still managed to give lots of love to his human family.

My friend shared with me that the portrait I painted last year has helped her and her husband through their grief. Seeing an image of him when he had the spark of life before he became ill has had a healing effect.

I am so happy that I could be a part of helping them through such a hard time.

I know your family will miss you horribly, Sam. I will too.

Keep things smiling there at the Rainbow Bridge, OK?

BlogPaws West: Your Chance To Pawticipate in Creating A BZTAT Mural!

BZTATBlogPaws West, the second conference this year put on by the great BlogPaws Team, is less than 2 weeks away.

And guess what? I am not only going to be there, I am going to be creating an artwork during the conference in collaboration with all of the attendees!

BlogPaws has commissioned me to create a Dialogues Mural as part of the BlogPaws West Conference in Denver, CO September 9-11, 2010.

A Dialogues Mural is a public artwork that I create on-site at an event with the help of event participants. Participants are encouraged to scribe their thoughts, ideas, reflections, drawings, etc. about the event’s theme, which I then incorporate into the mural using collage techniques.

A Dialogues Mural keeps the energy, inspiration and dialog going well after an event has concluded. Additionally, having an interactive artwork as part of an event creates a memorable attraction that lives on in the hearts of participants.

The theme for the BlogPaws mural is Hand to Hand – Paw to Paw: Celebrating the Worldwide Community of Pet Lovers.

I am very excited about creating the BlogPaws mural, as the organization and it’s purposes are very near and dear to my heart.  I will get a chance to create an artwork with some of the most influential writers and entrepreneurs in the online pet community, and I will get to spend great times with friends who I have met online.

Are you coming to BlogPaws? If so, come prepared to share a thought, an image, a quote, or some other idea that will become a part of a collaborative piece of art. it isn’t hard. All you need to do is write your thought on a small piece of paper and submit it to be included with the thoughts shared by others in YOUR community.

I can’t wait to create and share dialogs with you!